Pump-rod ratchet for oil wells



Nov. 17,1925. 1 5 1,873

E.E.-LYNCH PUMP ROD RATCHE'I' FOR OIL WELLS Filed May 29, 1923 2 sheets-sheet 1 p 1 22 t 2. i 72 INVENTOR f/w e5/ 5 Lyxzci ATTORNEY run n01) nurcnnw Fox OIL WELLS Filed llay 29, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESS: INVENTOR A r/res? 11 r0421.

I A I RN Patented Nov. 17, 1925.

UNITED sTArss -ERNEST E. LYNCH, OF TAFT, CALIFORNTA.

PUMP-ROD RATCHET FOR OIL WELLS.

Application filed May 29, 1923. Serial No. 642,161.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST E. LYNCH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Taft, in the county of Kern and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pump-Rod Ratchets for Oil Wells, of which the following is a specification. i

This invention relates in general to oil well; pumps, and more partlcularly to a ratchet device mounted on the walking beam of an on well pump and operably connected with said beam and with the pumprod of the well,-whereby at each stroke of the pump the rod will be rotated for a fraction of a revolution in the direction of the lead of the threads on the rod. coupling, the primary object being to provide a device'attachable to the pump rod whereby the different sections of said rod may be prevented from be coming detached due to. the vibration during the operation thereof. j

It is Well understood by those skilled in the art that oil well pumps are of great depth, and the rods are frequntly made up of sections which are screwed together, and during the reciprocation of the rods a considerable amount of vibration is set up which tends to unscrew the adjacent section of the rods. It is an object, therefore, of my invention to provide a ratchet fixed to the upper end of a pump rod above the walking beam which serves to operate said rod, and a pawl fixed to the walking beam and engaging said ratchet whereby when the beam is tilted the movement of the beam relative to the rod will effect a partial revolution of the rod in the direction of the lead of the threads, by means of which the sections of the rod are attached together, thus preventing the rods from becoming detached during operation.

Another object is to provide a device of the character mentioned which is capable of attachment to wells of different character, such as for instance, what is known as pumping wells, and alsowhat is known as jack wells which are adapted to be operated by means of cribs or other connections from a pumping well.

Still other objects may appear as the description progresses.

I have illustrated a preferred form of devices in the accompanying drawings, in which:

1 is a side elevation of my improved to that shown'in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, with-the walking beamsand pawls omitted.

Fig. 5 is a reduced scale side elevation of a well and pump, showing my deviceoperatively connected therewith.

Referring particularly to F ig; 5, it will be observedthat pumping wells usually em-.

body a walking beam B of wood, which is pivoted at 1 on a standard or standards 2. One end of the beam B is connected by means of a connecting rod 3 with a crank 4 which is operated by means of a driving wheel W 011 a drive shaft 5 suitably journaled at the ends on supports 6. The other end of the beam B is usually provided with a' T T which rocks in a seat on the .upper side of said beam and is connected by suitable means with a pump rod. R which ex- .tends downwardly into the casing C of a well, so that at each revolution of the drive shaft 5 the rod R will be reciproca-ted for pumping the oil from the well casing C.

In the form of device shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 I provide the T T with a right angular extension 7 which is bored at 8 to receive the hub 9 of a crown ratchet 10 provided with uniformly spaced teeth on the top thereof. The bottom of the bore 8 is provided with a thrust ball bearing 11 for rendering the operation of the device frictionless. The T T is bored at 12 and the hub 9 of ratchet 10 is'correspondingly bored to receive and hold vertically disposed sleeve 13, said sleeve being driven into or suitably held in the T and is extended upwardly through the ball bearing 11 into the bore of the hub 9.

The pump rod R extends through a central bore .14 in the T T and also through the center of ratchet 10 to which it may be fixed for rotation. The rod R. carries a well known form of gri G below the T T, and the beam B is bore at 15 so that the rod R extends downwardly therethrough. On the upper side of the ratchet 10 the rod R is provided with another grip member which is of the form shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and in cludes an eye-bolt 16 the eye of which is held in a slot 17 of member G, and the bolt portion thereof is extended outwardly through a lug 18 and carries a nut '19 on the end.

Thus, when the nut 19 is tightened the eye bolt will be moved inwardly into frictional engagement with rod R and the rod will be operatively connected with my improved ratchet device by means of the two grip members G, G, one at the top, and one at the bottom, so that when the end of beam B is elevated the rod R will be moved upwardly, and when the beam is moved downwardly. the rod R will be COITQSPOHClIH lY moved at each rotation of wheel 1 V and shaft 5.

The T T is of circular cross section and is adapted to rock in a semi-circular transverse groove 20 formed on the upper side of beam- B so that, as indicated in Fig. 1, when the beam B is rocked on its fulcrum 1 the rod R will be tilted as indicated by broken lines, and the ratchet 10 being mounted on said rod will also be correspondingly tilted. Inwardly of the ratchet 10 1' provide a bracket 21 adapted to be attached to the upper side of beam B by means of screws or bolts 22, 22. Said bracket has a boss 23 formed thereon above the plane of ratchet 10, and a pawl P is pivotally mounted on said boss by means of a screw 2 1. Said pawl extends longitudinally of the beam B and the free end 25 thereof engages the teeth 25 on ratchet 10, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

Thus, it will be observed that the bracket 21 being rigidly mounted on beam 13, and the ratchet 10 being tiltably mounted on said beam, when the beam is rocked on its fulcrum 1 the pawl P which is at all times in engagement with the teeth t of the ratchet will effect the partial rotation 01 said ratchet and the rod B when the rod R is tilted in the direction of bracket 21, and when said rod is tilted in the opposite direction the ratchet 10 will move under the pawl P so that the end 25 of the pawl will engage the successive teeth of the ratchet at each operation.

(3n the opposite side of ratchet 10 from pawl P, I provide a bracket 26 which is fixed to the upper portion of the T T by means of bolts or screws 27, 27. Said bracket has a longitudinally extended arm 28 on which is pivoted a stop pawl P by means of a screw 29. Said stop pawl extends longitudinally oi the beam B and overlies the ratchet 10 and engages the teeth 2' thereof, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so that the rotation of ratchet 10 of rod R will be prevented from rotating in but a single dire tion.

Thus, it'will be observed that the pawl P is mounted on the T T while the pawl P is mounted on the beam B, and the ratchet 10 being also mounted on T T, the movement of the ratchet 10 and rod R will not operate to disturb the relation of pawl P with ratchet 10, but the movement of said ratchet with the T T will operate to rotate said ratchet against the pawl P due to the connection of the pawl P therewith, as be- 1 01? stated.

In lieu 01" the manner of connecting the ratchet 10 with the rod R as shown in Figs. 1, and 3, in some cases especially, 1 may employ the means for connecting the rod with the ratchet as shown in Fig. 41. This means includes an eye-bolt E which has a stem 80 fixed to and extended through the ratchet 10 and 'l' T, and the lower end 31 of said rod is adapted to be threaded into the upper end of a pipe 32 which abuts the lower side of T T. This pipe may be of suitable length, and the lower end thereof is provided with one of the grip devices G and is adapted to slidably receive the upper end of the pump rod R. I

Thus, the upper end of pipe 32 serves the same purpose as the lowermost grip member shown in Fig. 3, and the rod B may be extended upwardly into the bore 33 of pipe 32 and firmly held therein by means of the grip device G. This form of device affords an adjustable means for connecting the pump rod R with the T T, and it will be noted with especial reference to Figs. 3 and 4: that the pump rod R in both forms of device is so connected with the T T andratchet 10 that the rod and ratchet device may be removed from the beam B without disassembling the mechanism.

It will be understood that the height of the ratchet 10 and pawl P above the axis of T T will influence and determine the extent of rotation of ratchet 10, and though this is immaterial to my invention, the move- .ment may be increased or diminished by raising or lowering said ratchet.

The main object of the device as herein-- bet'ore stated is to provide means for intermittently rotating the rod R at each operation of beam 13, so that the vibration will not cause the sections of rod R to become unscrewed.

I may modify or change the device within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit thereof.

hat I claim is:

1. In a device ot the character described a walking beam, a 'l' pivotally mounted thereon and having an extension on the up per side thereot, a bore in said extension, a bearing in said bore, a ratchet having a hub extended into said bore in; contact with said bearing, a bracket mounted on said a pawl pivotally mounted on said bracket and engaging said ratchet, a bracket mounted on said beam, and a pawl pivotally mounted on said last mentioned bracket and engaging said ratchet whereby when said T is rocked on said beam said ratchet will be correspondingly rotated.

2. In a device of the character described a walking beam, a T pivotally mounted thereon and having an extension on the upper side thereof, a bore in saidextension a bearing in said bore, aratchet having a hub extended into said bore in contact with said bearing, a bracket mounted on said T,

10 a pawl pivotally mounted on said bracket and engaging said ratchet, a bracket mounted on said beam, a pawl pivotally mounted on said last mentioned bracket and engaging said ratchet whereby when said T is rocked on said beam said ratchet Will be correspondingly rotated, and means on said rod above said ratchet and below said T for operably connecting said rod with said beam.

ERNEST E. LYNCH. 

